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MINNESOTA SPORTS ROUND-UP: Vikings break camp in Mankato

Posted on Aug 15, 2014 at 8:21 a.m.

MANKATO, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings are done with Mankato for 2014 and now have officially relocated to their official home of Winter Park in Eden Prairie. But just because they're done in Mankato doesn't mean training camp is over.

The fun continues for the team as they make their way towards the second preseason game on Saturday night against the Arizona Cardinals. Today, the team will go through a "mock game". Yesterday, before leaving Mankato, head coach Mike Zimmer reiterated that running back Adrian Peterson would not play Saturday night and that quarterback Matt Cassel could play the entire first half.

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The Minnesota Twins will begin a 10 game home stand tonight at Target Field as they look to build upon a couple of wins in Houston. The Twins just finished up a stretch that saw them 13 of 15 away from the Twin Cities. Having finished strong against the Astros by taking two-of-three, the Twins hope some of that momentum carries forward as the homestand will begin tonight against the red hot Kansas City Royals. KC has won 18 of 22 and will enter the series with a half game lead for first place in the AL Central. Ricky Nolasco (5-7, 5.90) gets the start after missing a month wiht elbow soreness. He'll face Danny Duffy (7-10, 2.57) with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

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The Minnesota Twins' top prospect Byron Buxton was only left with a concussion from a scary collision with a minor league teammate. Buxton must pass the standard major league baseball concussion protocols before being cleared to return to action, and general manager Terry Ryan said on Thursday afternoon that Buxton will be out "for a while." But considering the way Buxton laid crumpled and unconscious on the grass Wednesday night after running into right fielder Mike Kvasnicka at full speed in New Britain, Connecticut, this was about the best-case scenario for him and the Twins. Buxton used hashtags "thankful" and "doingokay" on Twitter on Thursday morning to describe his mood and outlook.

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Major League Baseball chief operating officer Rob Manfred has been elected as the sport's next commissioner following a contentious day of meetings between owners. Manfred, who has served as a league executive since 1998, will officially replace the retiring Bud Selig and become the 10th commissioner in MLB history in January. His appointment to baseball's highest post did not come without opposition, however. Manfred fell one vote shy of the 23 required during Thursday's initial balloting and a consensus had still yet to be reached after a second poll was taken. The decision ultimately went to a third vote, of which Manfred was unanimously approved once the eight dissenting owners eventually relented.

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The University of Minnesota football team will have have a pair of practices today on the U-of-M campus. First they'll take the field this morning at 9:10 a.m. and then return this afternoon at 4:40 p.m. Fall camp has now stretched into its second week gearing towards the season opener against Eastern Illinois on August 28th at TCF Stadium.

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Tonight the Minnesota Lynx will try and do something they don't often have to do - and that's break up a losing streak. First they had their 11 game winning streak stopped last Saturday in Phoenix then they fell to Los Angeles on Tuesday night. A loss tonight in San Antonio would be the Lynx's longest losing streak of the season, something the reigning WNBA champs would like to avoid as they start gearing up for the playoffs. San Antonio can clinch a playoff spot with a win but have dropped eight straight to the Lynx. Minnesota is locked into the No. 2 seed in the West. Tip tonight from San Antonio is set for 7 p.m.

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The Minnesota Lynx today announced that its game on Saturday, August 16 against the Tulsa Shock will be its annual Fan Appreciation Night. Along with the first 2,500 fans receiving a Lynx poster there will also be multiple giveaways throughout the game. Prizes to be given away include gift cards, autographed items and Lynx prize packs. Entering Friday's game against the San Antonio Stars, the Lynx sit in second in the Western Conference with a 24-8 record. Minnesota needs just one more victory over the final two games of the season to be the first team in WNBA history to record four consecutive 25-win seasons. The Lynx are tied for second in the league in scoring, averaging 81.9 points per game and had three players selected to this year's All-Star Game as Lindsay Whalen, Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus all represented the team in Phoenix.

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After beginning preseason practices last week, the University of Minnesota women's soccer team will host the University of North Dakota in an exhibition match tomorrow at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. The exhibition match will kick off at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The young Maroon and Gold squad lost four starters from 2013 but will return their top five scorers including leading scorer senior captain, Katie Thyken, who had seven goals a year ago. The Gophers also return 2013 Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year in sophomore Tarah Hobbs who had a standout rookie campaign with 122 saves and numerous conference honors. The team announced on Wednesday that seniors Becca Roberts and Olivia Schultz as well as junior Haley Helverson will join Thyken as captains for the 2014 season.

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The St. Paul Saints have found the worst time to equal their longest losing streak of the season, dropping their sixth straight game and in the process getting swept by the Winnipeg Goldeyes in a 6-4 loss at Shaw Park on Thursday evening. The loss pushes the Saints 6.0 games behind the Goldeyes and 5.0 games behind the Wild Card leading Laredo Lemurs. The Saints return home for a three game homestand beginning Friday night at 7:05 p.m. against the New Jersey Jackals. The Saints send RHP Drew Gay (5-1, 2.83) to the mound.